Christopher Smith's open letter to Activision Blizzard

It's been a while since you brought back Sierra, and despite the occasional release of classic games on GOG from their backlog (which I'm grateful for), everything has gone quiet since the release of King's Quest. As a fan of Sierra for almost fifteen years, this is alarming to somebody who wishes to see Sierra back in a Golden Age, and as such, I have a few suggestions I'd like you to consider.

1. I feel it's in Sierra's best interests to revert back to "Sierra On-Line" because it's a corporate entity synonymous with gamers and the gaming industry, it's what they built their legacy with, and what they should use to continue that legacy. Please also consider making Sierra a subdivision (rather than it staying simply as a trademark and label), and employing a talented team of professionals who can continue to create games that will appeal to Sierra's Fanbase.

2. I feel creating episodic games should be done sparingly because Sierra's games have always been built around releasing complete adventures that could be played there and then, without the need to wait weeks or months for the next part of the game... I believe fans would wait for a couple of complete Sierra Games a year compared to one episodic release that can take up to a year to release.

3. I feel that the "reimaginings" you've mentioned on your site aren't really the way Sierra should be heading, as once pioneers of the gaming industry. Sierra made its own path, and people followed. Remasters, sequels or even entirely new IP in Sierra's trademark style, I believe, is the way forwards... Something to appease fans of Sierra. Do that, and others will follow.

4. I feel getting involved with the community could be helpful, too. An example would be Sierra Chest, a website which is diligently working on archiving and preserving Sierra's history and games in high detail. Sites like these might benefit from more exposure, or even becoming official.

Yours Sincerely,

Christopher Smith.

Sierra Chest disclaimer: While we welcome Christopher to post his open letter on the Sierra Chest site, the Sierra Chest had no part in writing it and does not necessarily agree with its content.